Mitochondrial genome of the hydrothermal vent crab Austinograea alayseae (Crustacea: Bythograeidae): genetic differences between individuals from Tofua Arc and Manus Basin

Abstract

The brachyuran crab Austinograea alayseae is one of the most common species found in hydrothermal vent fields of the southwestern Pacific Ocean. In this study, we found that the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of A. alayseae from Tofua Arc is 15,611 bp in length and has the typical gene arrangement of a brachyuran. We also compared the mitogenomes of A. alayseae from two different regions, Tofua Arc and Manus Basin. Their genomes were identical, except for the control region, which showed 82.29% nucleotide similarity. These results will be helpful in developing stable markers for the identification of A. alayseae at the sub-species level.

• Austinograea alayseae
• Bythograeidae
• complete mitochondrial genome
• hydrothermal vent crab
• Tofua Arc

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Do-Hyung Kang and Dr Chulhong Oh for their assistance.